Above The Desolation
by Fell The Tempest
Summary: May his arrows strike true, his name strike fear. His love will heal, his hate will cleanse. Above our graves, they have made their home. Above the Desolation, our Kingdom will rise again." - Tome of Absolution, psalm 25:38.
1. The Scrying Pool

_Suna._ A land of wealth and poverty, of heat and cold. A harsh land where survival was key, and where the slightest mistake could kill you. The sun beamed down on its poor inhabitants, its blazing light relentlessly pounding away at their bodies and minds. Not a cloud was in sight - the climate was far too hot here for rain - and it appeared to be just another average day.

Merchants, marketing their wares, lined the streets of the bazaar, hawking to passing strangers, eager to earn a profit... or a slave.

Suna's 'guards' were posted on the rooftops of every building. Armored, trained soldiers, proficient with the bow and arrow, they loomed ominously, stoically, over the people. Under their watchful eye, the innocent would be protected... or killed, if there was money involved.

A masked figure strolled barefoot along the broken cobblestone path, a long, white, sand-stained cloak shrouding his features. The man's cloak seemed to shimmer and convulse elegantly in the brittle, sandy desert breeze, revealing heavily tanned skin underneath and two beautifully crafted swords - both sheathed, one above the other - at his left hip. His white Arabian-style pants buffeted in the early morning breeze.

As he strolled unnoticed through the desert bazaar, something caught his attention.

A small slave-boy, maybe as young as ten or eleven. He was leaning tiredly onto the side of a sandstone building, his dark hair matted with grease and filth. His dirt-stained clothes were in tatters, making his starved ribs stick out like piano keys. His gaunt eyes sped around the bazaar, pleading for someone, anyone, to help him.

The masked man slipped gracefully out of sight, stealthily grabbing an apple from a nearby merchant's stall. With a flick of the wrist, it launched right into the starving boy's hands. The young lad caught it, and his eyes widened in surprise. It was a juicy, succulent red color, and it smelled fresh! Due to the unfavorable desert terrain - which was almost impossible to cultivate, especially at this time of year - a single apple such as this could be sold for over 100 ryo, making them a luxury only the obscenely rich could afford. He couldn't help but stare at the apple hungrily - no one had ever given him such a wonderful present before!

The shrouded figure smiled lightly inside the cowl of his cloak at the boy's reaction, before disappearing, almost like a mirage, or a messenger of God. He left without a sound. He left without a trace. No one knew that he had come, or that he had left, except for that one small boy.

**.:The Ranger's Eye:. by Fell The Tempest  
**

**"There's something about you..."** the Kyuubi mumbled as he watched recorded memories of Naruto's life. He was sitting in his cage, tails twitching in anticipation as he stared into the depths of a pool of water.** "I can't put my finger on it, but... it's there. Somewhere. I just have to find it."**

Kyuubi, a master of Kitsune Magic and illusions, resident of Naruto Uzumaki's Mindscape, was puzzled. In all his years, he had never seen such a unique person as his container. The blond haired, blue eyed 'Demon Brat' had a long history. Demon-possession aside, this child had done much in his short time, and seemed to have an aura of mystery about him. Kyuubi had grown tired of simply asking 'why?', and had taken it upon himself to find the cause.

He had awoken on that fateful night, one year ago, when the boy's own academy instructor, Mizuki, had tricked him into stealing the forbidden scroll in order to pass the academy test and finally become a ninja. After Naruto had taken it into the woods of Konoha, and had exhausted himself through training, Mizuki had shown up, determined on either taking the scroll, or the young container's life. Maybe both.

Iruka had shown up to defend Naruto, and was injured fatally, blood gushing silently out of his chest from a Windmill Shuriken attack. However, Naruto stood up to Mizuki, creating over a thousand clones and beating the ex-teacher senseless.

Kyuubi arrived at that memory and chuckled quietly to himself as Mizuki had his ass handed to him on a golden plate. **"Kid's got spunk... but that's not what I'm looking for," **he mused, the thirty-story tall Nine Tailed Fox idly scratching behind his ear with a vicious-looking paw. He recalled how Naruto had pranked the entire village numerous times, and laughed again. However, he reached a new memory of Naruto being beaten - one of the few that hadn't been mentally blocked by the Yamanaka clan - and sobered once more, snarling at the images presented before him.

He blinked once, then focused on the memory being played upon the water's surface. **"There it is..."** he intoned. Naruto had been in so many traumatic accidents that he Sandiame Hokage had been forced to seal away some of Naruto's memories, lest the young sacrifice lose his sanity due to all of the horrific beatings he had endured. However, Sarutobi had not only sealed the torturous memories, but many of the beneficial memories as well. Memories... like this one.

Naruto was five at the time, playing on top of the Hokage monument. He had set up a few 'bad guys', which were in fact flour sacks with mean faces painted on them, tied to sticks and propped up around the clearing.

Naruto pulled out an old cane he had found in the dump the previous day, and held it in what resembled a stance he had seen a ninja use once. "Watch out, cuz here comes Naruto Uzumaki! Prepare to feel my blade!" He yelled boldly, before rushing at the flour-sack dummy. He struck it once, twice, three times before pivoting and dramatically sheathing his makeshift sword.

The dummy fell backwards onto the ground, and Naruto let out a whoop of happiness before moving on to the next one.

However, his actions did not go unnoticed. A group of Chuunin that had been training nearby had heard his yell, and rushed to the area, thinking something terrible had happened. When they arrived at the scene, though, their thoughts of saving an innocent in trouble turned much, much darker.

"Well, well, well..." The leader - whom Kyuubi recognized as Mizuki, although Naruto was too young to remember - intoned, his leaf headband glinting in the afternoon sun. "What do we have here?"

Naruto spun around, breaking out in a cold sweat. He had heard that voice before, many times, when he had been hurt. He held the cane out in front of him, his tiny voice quivering. "G-Go away! Don't make me hurt you!"

One of the ninja casually strolled up to the boy, batting his sword aside with one hand and picking him up by his neck, slowly choking the life out of him. Naruto struggled and kicked, but the man must have been at least ten years older than him and outweighed him by over a hundred pounds.

"So, what'll you do now, you damned fox!?" He snarled, kneeing Naruto in the stomach. Naruto grimaced as pain shot through his abdomen - at least a few ribs had been broken. "How does it feel to be powerless, like my father was when you killed him!?"

Naruto knew, just knew that he was going to die. No one was here to help him, this far away from the village and the Hokage Tower. So, he did the only thing he could think of doing. He reared back and spit in the face of the ninja who held him captive, deciding to at least go out with his head held high.

The older shinobi snarled, wiping the spit off of his face with his free arm. "Looks like you've got some fight left in you..." He cocked his fist and slugged Naruto across the face with a vicious right hook. While Naruto was too stunned to attempt escape, his captor stomped over to the edge of the Hokage Monument, Naruto still held firmly in his vice-like grip. He unleashed a fiery glare, his eyes piercing accusingly into Naruto's very soul. "Goodbye, Demon!"

His hand unclenched, and Naruto once again felt the familiar pull of gravity.

Naruto fell...

As he tumbled down towards a certain, painful death, he felt very odd. Like he detached from his own body. His life didn't flash before his eyes, and he didn't sent out a plea for help or a prayer for salvation. He just... reacted.

As he approached the rocky earth, his outline seemed to blur. Quickly, he grabbed onto a nearby tree branch, the rough wood scraping his hands, and used his momentum to launch himself back into the air. He corkscrewed through an open window and into an empty apartment building, landing on a soft feather bed to cushion his fall.

Naruto rolled off the bed and fell onto the floor, panting heavily, adrenaline coursing through his system. He swallowed the lump that had been forming in the back of his throat, and tried to stand only to fall back down, his limbs shaking in exertion. Coughing a few times, he succumbed to the warm embrace of unconsciousness...

Kyuubi smiled and pulled himself away from the opalescent pool of water. He had found what he had been searching for. **"I can't believe I didn't see it before! I must be going blind with age. The gaki... he may not realize it, but he has more potential than the entire herd of humans that live in this village."** He snorted, the sound echoing ominously through the moldy sewers of his host's mindscape. **"I've been around for a very long time, and I've seen many things. I've beheld the births and the falls of civilizations, heard every story there is to tell, and skewed the boundaries between reality and fiction. But this... is a new development."**

**"The Rangers have returned." **He grinned widely, his enormous visage reflected in the eerie pool of water. **"The Tomes' prophecy will soon be fulfilled._ Above the Desolation, the Kingdom will be born again._"**

* * *

This is just a preview to the story I may or may not write. I need input - should I make this? I haven't fully orchestrated the plot yet, but here is what I've started on. I hope my writing has improved since my previous stories.

There are a few things left unexplained in this chapter, that won't be revealed until later. Updates are probably going to be at odd times, because I have a lot to do outside of Fanfiction.

Anyway, R&R. Tell me what you think. I'm all ears.


	2. Just That Predictable

**.:The Ranger's Eye:.** by Fell The Tempest

The day started off like any other. Naruto awoke with a start at exactly six o'clock, jumping out of bed with a frenzy, eager to start a new day... or get it over with, depending on what mood he was in. He slipped into a pair of oversized orange cargo pants, a plain black shirt, and an old and ripped track jacket, then rushed over to the kitchen, feeling hungry as hell.

He put a package of Maruchan Ramen into a pot of boiling water, leaning over the pot, the aroma of cooking noodles filling his nostrils. 'GAH, how long is this gonna take!?' He thought, staring into the boiling water as if it held something of religious importance. Finally, his will shattered like glass, and he shoveled in a bucket-load of slightly undercooked ramen. As soon as he was finished, he threw his empty bowl into the sink and bolted out his aged apartment doorway, heading straight for the training ground. His mind was flooded with vivid images of insanely cool jutsus, spinning kicks and all the hot babes he'd meet along the way.

He laughed as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop, approaching the Team 7 training ground, one which he had come to know quite well. Much better than his own teammates, in fact, considering they almost never talked to him. As for his sensei...

He shook his head to relieve the nasty train of thought_. 'I shouldn't think about that stuff. Who cares? It's almost time for the Chuunin exams, and Kakashi-sensei promised he'd train me!' _He laughed again as triple-front flipped off of the hospital roof and used chakra to run down the wall. His chakra control had almost doubled since that mission at wave, and he couldn't wait to learn some new ultra-powered jutsus!

He leapt from the wall, soaring through the air before landing on the roof of a food stall, his feet making light taps as they made contact with the hard wood. He leapt again, leaping from tree branch to tree branch along the route he had come to know so well.

He approached the training ground and skidded to a halt, seeing Sakura leaning back against a tree, eyes closed. "Hey, Sakura-chan!" He called, not knowing that she was sleeping at the time. She opened her eyes and glared at the menace who just woke her from her nap, before shrieking as only enraged women can. "NARUTO! What's your problem!?"

Naruto swallowed comically, backing up slowly as he did so. "S-Sorry, Sakura-chan! I didn't mean to --"

He was interrupted by a swift punch to the head, sending him flat on his face into the dirt. "Ouch." He drawled, the sound of his voice muffled.

He heard the scuffing of sandals on stone unique to only one person, and he rolled over to see Sasuke, in all his dark monotony, calmly walking into the training ground. Ahead of him was Kakashi, his feet making almost no sound due to his extensive ninja training.

"Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei. What took you?" Naruto playfully asked, sitting up only to receive another punch to the head. "Itai! What was that one for?" He whined, rubbing his sore forehead. "That's for asking stupid questions, baka!" Sakura responded easily, hitting him again. "And that's for being a baka in the first place!"

As Naruto once again was massaging his aching head, Kakashi pulled a few slips of paper out of his pocket. "I was just getting a few applications for the Chuunin exam. It takes a while to get them, so that's why I was late today." He waved the papers around, handing one each to Sakura and Sasuke, while dropping the paper onto Naruto. "They start in a month, so I want each of you to prepare and bring your A-game."

He rolled up his sleeve and checked his watch before sighing. "Well, I have to get going. We won't have training for today - consider this your only day off for the next month. Sakura, I've talked to Kurenai, Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress, and she's agreed to take you on as a student to perfect your chakra control and genjutsu skills." He nodded silently to Sasuke, who returned the gesture. "Good luck during the next month, Team 7."

Before Kakashi could leave, however, Naruto shot up to his feet. "Wait, Kakashi-sensei! Don't forget about me. We're going to do some training, right?" He asked hopefully, eager to learn from his sensei and his massive jutsu arsenal.

Kakashi looked away guiltily for a moment, before responding in a subdued tone, "Sorry, Naruto, but I have... other things to attend to."

Naruto could have heard a pin drop at that moment. He had been so sure - so sure! "But, but I-"

"Now, now, Naruto. It's not all that bad. Just keep working on your taijutsu, your speed and your chakra control, and you'll do fine." He stated with a sense of finality, itending on finishing the conversation there.

"But I can already climb trees! What else is there to do!?" He asked, hoping for at least a shred of advice. Sakura shuffled her feet, she couldn't help but feel a little pity for their goofy, dead-last teammate. He needed training just like she needed Sasuke, otherwise he'd never get anywhere!

Kakashi simply shrugged, turned his back, and walked away. "I don't know. Do whatever you want to do. There are some things I need to take care of." His footsteps through the grass felt like sledgehammers on Naruto's heart. _'Sorry, Naruto, but I owe too much to a... friend of mine.'_

"Fine! I don't need your help, I don't need anyone's help! I'll get better on my own, no thanks to you!" Naruto growled, infuriated with his so-called sensei. It had happened like this so many times before: his sensei was either too busy reading his porn or not caring to help Naruto.

As Kakashi left the clearing, Sasuke smirked superiorly at Naruto before turning heel and following Kakashi like an obedient little puppy. Naruto's blood felt like it was going to boil over._ 'I knew it! I knew that something like this was going to happen. Give all the help to the prodigy, totally blow off everyone else!' _He growled bestially, like an angry wildcat, before stomping away. _'What am I gonna do now!?'_

Sakura watched Naruto as he left the clearing, before sighing and heading off to find Kurenai. _'There's no point in worrying about it. I'm sure the bncc410aka will find someone to train him... right?'_

Two hours later, our blond hero could be seen destroying the landscape surrounding Konoha. Small trees were stripped bare of their bark and cast about the forest ground, victim to brutal kicks and swift kunai strikes.

Naruto was laying on his back, bench pressing a tree trunk in an effort to relieve stress. Unfortunately, said method was showing... indifferent results.

"NINETY-NINE! ONE-HUNDRED!" He yelled, throwing the log into the surrounding brush. He growled again, before lashing out at the nearest thing he could see- yet another tree. He stomped up to it and punched it as hard as he could, splitting his knuckles wide open and putting a three inch dent into the tree.

"GAH! NOTHING IS WORKING!" He snarled, watching as his knuckles healed before his very eyes. He sighed, his body completely spent but his emotions still raging. 'Maybe meditation will help out... Ojii-san said it's good for cooling off.'

He walked through the forest a bit, until he found a beautiful spot to meditate. It was a small, well-lit clearing, with many colorful flowers and a tree stump in the center. He approached the stump and sat down, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. 'Uh, what now? I never really learned how to do this...'

Suddenly, he felt much colder and soaked to the bone, and a horrible stench invaded surrounded him. He cracked one eye open before jumping straight up, completely freaked out by what he was seeing.

He appeared to be in a sewer of some kind, an old one by the looks of it. It was a dingy gray color, with a sickly green-brown water flooding the place by at least a foot. Cold rusted pipes jutted out at odd angles from the walls of the sewer, and he could occasionally hear the faint pitter-patter of water dropping into the pool below.

He paused and cautiously scanned around in every direction, expecting an attack of some kind. After all, it this hadn't been the first time he'd been in a sewer, alone... this had happened two, maybe three times before. Cocking his head, he heard a strange sound. Assuming it to be another person, his hand began twitching towards his kunai pouch.

**'Hey, hey Kit. Over here...' **the strange, deep voice called, as it echoed around the empty passageways of the decrepit sewer. A small light bulb flickered on and off, dimly illuminating a shape in the distance. Naruto's throat became incredibly dry, and he quickly swallowed his fear as the voice sent shivers down his spine.

Naruto didn't trust the voice at all, so he chose not to speak and give away his position. He slowly unsheathed a kunai, its razor edge glinting in the almost non-existent light. He might not be able to kill, but he had a dangerous weapon, and he knew how to use it. If worse came to worse... well, there would be one less person in here in the next few minutes.

**'Come on, Kit! I mean you no harm. Just follow my voice. I need to speak with you.' **It beckoned to him again, seeming to be... pleading with the young man. After a little mental debating, Naruto slowly lowered his guard. He slipped his kunai into his belt pouch, just in case, and took off his headband, using it as a mirror to reflect light, creating a make-shift flashlight.

Naruto decided that he might as well give it a chance. He waded through the knee-deep water, his clothes already soaked and clinging to his slim form. He shivered and tried to pull himself deeper into his track jacket, but that didn't seem to make him any warmer.

Standing - rather, towering - in front of him was a massive iron cage, its bars rusted with age. It must have been at least a hundred feet tall, like a massive skyscraper of death. Naruto noticed that it had no lock, and no key; rather, it was barred shut by a small piece of paper, which had the word 'Seal' written on it.

Naruto tentatively approached the cage, pausing every few feet to make sure he wasn't being tricked. He reached the cage and touched the closest bar - it was over three feet around, made of thick cast iron. His gaze slowly drifted upwards, before gasped at what he saw inside. In all of his wildest dreams, he never thought he'd see this.

A large, orange-furred beast hovered over him, its nine fiery tails and most of its fur matted with sickly grime. It had an aura of power, yet compassion, around its ethereal form. It moved slowly, purposefully, over to the edge of the cage, and lowered its head down to Naruto's eye level. The two locked eyes for a moment, each searching the other's soul, gazing on the other with a sensation that could only be described as wonder.

**"So... we meet at last."**

**

* * *

**This chapter is roughly 2.1k words long. I know it's kinda short, but... that's just the way I roll. On the bright side, the writing is a lot better quality (in my opinion) and it makes updating much easier. I currently don't have a Beta-reader, so in the meantime I'm just writing solo. Any advice?

Anyway, R&R! First one to Review gets an imaginary cookie. :D


	3. What Comes Around

**.:The Ranger's Eye:.** by Fell The Tempest

They held each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity, even though it was probably only a few seconds, maybe minutes at most. Naruto looked upon the Kyuubi with mixed emotions, most of which were fear, awe, hatred, and pity. The massive beast before him rippled with power, only hinting at the torment it had caused, but at the same time, he was a creature that had no hope of escaping his imprisonment. The Kyuubi blinked a few times, before he quietly continued in a soft, yet all-encompassing baritone. **"I saw what life looked like through your eyes, but even then, I'd never imagined you'd be so..."**

Naruto held his breath as he waited for the Kyuubi to continued to speak.

**"...short."** He finished, his deep chuckle echoing around the cold sewer. Naruto sweatdropped, the entire 'moment' spoiled by that one word.

"No shit, Sherlock. How long did it take you to figure that one out? I don't need to hear it from you, too." He grumbled, as he crossed his arms and turned his back on the cage.

**"Please, Kit. I really need to talk to you."** The Kyuubi said, once again his voice pleading with Naruto, tugging on the young man's heart. With a short sigh, he returned back to the Kyuubi's eternal jail.

"What do you want, Kyuubi? Let me guess. You want to mock me, ridicule me, tell me how weak I am. You want to trick me into letting you out, and possibly kill myself trying. Right?" He resignedly asked the demonic beast, not willing to fall for any of the demon tricks he had heard about so often. He had been ready for this moment for a while now.

The Kyuubi snarled. **"I thought, just THOUGHT that you of all people would understand what being a 'demon' is. It is not a self given title, it is a label given by those ignorant of us. Humans, in all their arrogance, believe that they are above every other being, and won't hesitate to say so. They'll label anything they believe to be evil a demon, just like you when you were but a child. Now, ask yourself - even though everyone thinks that you are some sort of demonic creature, are you?"**

Naruto backed up slightly, eyes dimming a bit. "No... I'm not. But you are. You're the reason that people think I'm a demon!" He finished, nearly yelling at his prisoner.

**"Wrong answer."** the Kyuubi admonished, his eyebrows furrowed at his host's tone. **"The reason people think that you're a demon is because they don't know you. They are bound by past experiences, and refuse to look past the lies and misconceptions that bind them from the truth. Tell me, young one, does anyone that has attacked you gotten to know you beforehand? Or, in my case, do have they ever asked _why_ I attacked Konoha?"**

"No, they don't! But I doubt that any excuse could be good enough to justify-"

**"My Kits!" **Kyuubi boomed angrily, the water rippling and cage bars rattling loudly. His chakra spiked, bleeding through the bars that kept the prisoner and jailer apart. **"They killed my own famly, young one. I watched as they were killed, cleaned, and their pelts hung out to dry! A group of poachers wearing your Leaf symbol ventured into my domain, MY OWN DOMAIN and rended the flesh from my childrens' bones! They drugged me, believing me to be unconscious at the time. My high regeneration allowed me to stay awake, but left me unable to anything as the center of my life was taken from me! Look me in the face, RIGHT IN THE FACE, and tell me that I am not justified!"** He roared, his face inches from Naruto's, the force of his breath blasting Naruto straight onto his back.

Naruto coughed as the murky, lifeless water flooded his mouth. He quickly scrambled to his feet, spitting out the foul substance. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve in a futile attempt to rid himself of the taste.

"Fine then... maybe you aren't such a demon after all." Naruto slowly returned to the cage, a bit shaken by the Kyuubi's words. It wasn't just the way that he had told his tale, but the concept itself. The way he spoke, the way he acted... Naruto could tell that this was no lie - he'd become quite good at detecting lies due to his mistreatment. "But that still leaves the question. What do you want, Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi looked away for a moment, and spoke, almost as if talking to himself. **"I've spent over fifteen years in this godforsaken prison, and I still haven't found an answer to that question. What do I want? Money? I have no need for it, not here. Power? I have all I could ask for - too much to ask for, in retrospect, and it cost me my freedom. Revenge? I tried that once, and things... well, look at me know."** He pointed out, staring at both his paws, trying to find the soft orange fur beneath the layers of muck. **"I..."**

Naruto, eyes downcast, chose not to speak as the Kyuubi drifted into silence. There was truly nothing that Kyuubi could hope for. Nothing he could live for. He was a caged bird, eternally trapped by his past mistakes, destined to die in a cold cell. Unloved, uncared for...

Unknown.

"Freedom." Naruto spoke, his soft voice carrying surprisingly far in the dim sewers. The Kyuubi's huge, furry ear perked up, and he took a sharp breath.

**"F-Freedom?"** The Kyuubi inquired, desperation and hope easily seen in his not-so-vicious-looking red eyes.

"Yeah," Naruto stated slowly, not sure where he was going with this. "I could, you know, try to find a way to... let you out. Maybe." He put one hand to the cage bars, running his hand across the cool metal. Small chakra sparks jumped between his hand and the cage, proving that the seal was active, and very lethal. "It could take a while, since this looks pretty tough... but I bet I could do it."

The Kyuubi smiled, once again feeling the warm, tingling sensation of hope strolling back into his heart. **"Thank you, youngling. Your help will not go unrewarded. You were looking for a teacher that would help you grow stronger, correct?" **He inquired, as Naruto nodded in response.

**"In that case, look no further. Though I have no use for human jutsus or chakra control, because my reserves are limitless, I still have hundreds of years of knowledge within my mind."**

"Well, that's great and all, but what can you teach me if you don't know any techniques?" Naruto asked, slightly downput, his idea of learning awesome ninja moves slightly dampened.

**"I said I didn't know any Human techniques; there is much more that humans, in their arrogance, are unaware of. I shall shall share with you the secrets of the Wilds, teach you the mastery of the Arrow, and teach you to harness the power of the Beasts."**

Strange images began to flash through Naruto's head as the Kyuubi spoke these words - they awed him, setting him on a path to greatness. A man, garbed in white, wielding two swords, hacking and slashing his foes, the visage of a wolf looming over his form as he defeated yet another opponent. Unopposed, undefeatable, striking with the speed of the snake, seeing with the eyes of the hawk, and reacting with the cunning of the fox. The perfect warrior...

**"So, the question remains... do you wish to learn?"** Kyuubi smirked, a single finger reaching through the bars. Inside his massive grasp was a silver pendant in the likeness of a paw print. Naruto, without any hesitation, snatched it from his teacher's grasp. He palmed it over lightly in his hand, the cool, yet strangely warm silver feeling at home in his hand.

"Yes, sensei. I am your student."

He hung the pendant around his neck, the paw dangling just below his collarbone. Suddenly, A green barrier of light erupted around Naruto, with elegant meteor-like waves of gold pulsating and spinning around it, forming what looked like a mystical cocoon. Pulses of the mysterious spring-green chakra erupted from the orb, each one forming ripples in the water and tearing at the bars of the Kyuubi's cage. A tremor shook the entire sewer complex, as it slowly faded away to be replaced by a beautiful forest spring.

Kyuubi slowly inhaled his first breath of fresh air in over a decade, enjoying the scents and sounds of the wildlife around him. It wasn't freedom, per se, but it would do for now. He was now the size of a large dog, looking considerably less demonic, his ears shortened, eyes like sparkling amethysts, and his teeth much more fitted to his new size. On his forehead was an intricate black-ink tattoo, that outlined his face like a mask and trailed over his whole body, weaving a delicate tapestry that ended on the center of his chest, forming the Kanji for 'Seal.' His fiery orange fur rippled in the warm spring breeze, and he walked over to a nearby pond, examining his new reflection.

**"Hmm... I wasn't expecting that to happen, but..." **

A large orb quickly descended from the 'sky', reaching breakneck speeds as it approached the earth. Just before touching the surface, it stopped completely, hovering mere feet above a newly-grown patch of grass. Kyuubi tentatively, cautiously approached it - he wasn't sure how to react to its reappearance. Where was Naruto?

His fears were abated as the green sphere slowly dissipated, the unconscious form of Naruto tumbling from its confines. His body landed with a soft thump on the soft earth, kicking up a small bit of dust. Kyuubi silently pranced over to his new student, sniffing all over his face and taking in his new scent. He prodded with his nose to roll Naruto over, his fur sticking up with excitement as he took in Naruto's new appearance.

_**'And so... a new tale begins.'**_


End file.
